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A call for certainty for Ukrainians in the UK

On 6 February 2024 Westminster Hall, House of Commons debated a potential extension for the Homes for Ukraine Scheme: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/811af649-8815-4dd0-92fd-6b8d2504bea5?in=14:30:08

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Certainty is needed, not just by the Ukrainians who have fled the conflict, but by their employers, local authorities, schools and landlords, so that they can plan for the future.

Over 56,000 people have signed two separate Parliament petitions calling for the government to allow Ukrainians the right to settle in the UK.

MPs, led by Pauline Latham, Conservative member for Mid Derbyshire, called on Tom Purlsgove, Minister for Legal Migration and the Border to provide certainty and stability to Ukrainians currently in the UK.

Visas issued under the schemes supporting Ukrainians wishing to come to the UK will begin to expire in March 2025. The debate highlighted how this uncertainty affects Ukrainians’ well-being, employment and education prospects.

Over 8% of the total number of Ukrainian families helped under the scheme are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, and ending the Homes for Ukraine scheme is likely to exacerbate this.

This scheme was announced in March 2022 and since then ACH has provided vital support to 171 Ukrainian families living in South Gloucestershire through the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. In addition to this, last July, ACH was invited by Solihull Council (MBC) to take part in a revolutionary bid where we secured a 15-bed property that provides interim housing for Ukrainian refugees. In Bristol, ACH secured a fund from Comic Relief to lead the Bridge to Employment programme, which aims to support Ukrainian refugees into secure, long-term and sustainable employment.